Technology in Behavioral ResearchOregon Research Institute - Annual Report 2014

Using technology in research started early at ORI. In 1965, the builders of the World Trade Center in NYC hired ORI scientist and founder Paul Hoffman (pictured here with Paul Eskildsen) to help determine the amount of building sway a person could comfortably withstand. The Planar Motion Chamber was a full-size office and reception area built inside a downtown Eugene, OR office building. The rooms were rigged so they could be swayed gently from side to side while researchers measured subject reactions.

Message from the Administrative Director Message from the Science Director

Researchers at Oregon Research Institute (ORI) have relied on computer technology since

ORI was founded in 1960. From writing computer programs line by line on punch cards to

using tiny wearable devices to collect biometric data, ORI scientists have kept pace with the

rapid changes in computer technology. ORI investigators were among the first to create

and evaluate interactive computer programs for health behavior change. ORI has been a

leader in new data analytic techniques afforded by increasingly sophisticated technological

advances. ORI’s robust technological infrastructure, strong IT support, and forward-looking

scientists keep ORI’s research program innovative and fresh.

Byron J. Glidden

Administrative Director

Founded in 1960, ORI is a non-profit, independent, behavioral research center with an

international reputation as a leader in conducting research to help people lead healthier lives.

The results of our scientific studies provide individuals, schools, and community leaders with

the knowledge and skills to address local and national public health problems.

This year’s Annual Report provides examples of how advances in computer technology have

impacted the study of human behavior. We describe how program interventions and data

collection and analysis have changed as technology has changed.

As we look to the future, ORI is well-positioned to take advantage of new technologies, new

methodologies, and new ways of asking and answering important questions so that we

remain worldwide leaders in behavioral research, and ultimately contribute to public health

advances in improving the health and wellbeing of people of all ages.

Carol W. Metzler, Ph.D.

Science Director

Using record album-sized CD disks, ORI scientists began testing computer-based, interactive health behavior change programs in the mid-to-late 1980’s. By the early 1990’s, ORI -- along with everyone else -- had advanced to web-based interventions. An early clinical trial at ORI tested a web-based interactive program to help people with diabetes adhere to their dietary regimens. Since few people had home computers at the time, research staff placed hundreds of desktop computers in participants’ homes for use during the trial. Today a similar intervention can be accessed via a wristwatch.

Internet-based interventions -- or eHealth interventions -- have proven to be effective in encouraging health behavior change for a broad range of target behaviors including quitting smoking, managing alcohol consumption, relieving depression, and improving parenting. Interest in mHealth interventions, which use mobile devices such as smartphones, is increasing dramatically as researchers test ways to better deliver health behavior change interventions to participants throughout their day. ORI scientists currently are conducting clinical trials of mobile health interventions for quitting smoking.

“Because mobile phone users typically carry their phones with them during their daily routine, mHealth interventions can reach out to deliver helpful behavior change content to individuals as they go about their everyday lives.”

Brian Danaher, Ph.D.

RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY AT ORI

Use of Technology in Behavioral Research

The rapid advance of electronic technology holds the promise for revolutionary improvements in conducting research on human behavior as well as innovative methods for prevention and treatment of behavioral disorders and disease.

The advances in technology provide researchers with exciting opportunities because they offer ever-faster, more portable, and more accurate ways to deliver helpful behavioral interventions as well as to collect reliable data about human behavior. With the progress and spread of technology have come new fields of study including the utility of mobile device applications for assessment and intervention and the consideration of whether and how social scientists could use Big Data (social media) for large population-based studies.

This Annual Report takes a look at how advances in computer technology have impacted the study of human behavior, specifically in the areas of intervention delivery, data collection, and behavioral observation.

Intervention Delivery

In a four-year study funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), ORI senior scientists Brian Danaher, Ph.D. and John Seeley, Ph.D. and their eHealth team are conducting a randomized controlled trial to test whether a smoking cessation intervention delivered via a smartphone is more effective in helping individuals to quit smoking when compared to a best-practices web-based quit smoking program. Mobile devices can provide just-in-time assistance when it is most needed and thereby may enhance an individual’s ability to quit tobacco use. The findings of this research could have substantial public health benefit due to the broad reach and potential cost effectiveness of technology-based interventions to assist smokers who want to quit.

Various innovative technologies enhance the ability of behavioral scientists to observe and inter-pret human behavior. In the early 1980’s ORI scientists began using video recordings of family or couple interactions as a way to examine verbal and non-verbal exchanges between research participants. The video-recordings are analyzed using a behavioral coding system and are often coupled with psychophysiological data (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, etc.) captured during the interaction. Additionally, sections of the video-recorded interactions can be shown to a participant while he or she undergoes functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to examine neural activation in response to various forms of affective behavior captured in the video-recordings. fMRI can also be used to measure neural activation in response to many other kinds of important real-life stimuli, such as food and food advertisements.

These techniques capture real-time physiological and neural processing of personally relevant, eco-logically valid stimuli and allow research scientists to analyze individuals’ responses to these stimuli across different levels of analysis (e.g., self-report questionnaires, physiology, neural activation).

In a series of unique prospective studies, ORI senior scientist Eric Stice, Ph.D., and his team are examining the relationship between brain responsivity and overweight, obesity, and eating disorders. They are using fMRI to examine the extent to which the brain’s reward circuitry is activated when participants think about eating attractive foods as well as when they actually eat those foods. This repeated-measures brain imaging will lead to an improved understanding of the brain circuitry processes that give rise to obesity and should guide the design of more effective preventive and treatment interventions for this major public health problem.

Early behavioral studies seeking to better un-derstand people’s overall patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors used paper-based daily diaries and asked participants to record their own behavior. With the emergence of technological mobile devices it is becoming increasingly possible to more precisely and continuously monitor behav-ior, with the possibility of simultaneously collecting and integrating data from multiple sources (e.g., self-report, biosensor, social media usage, peer interactions) to better understand and predict be-havior as it unfolds in naturally occurring contexts.

Increasingly, research frameworks emphasize real-world, real-time data capture, often referred to as ecological momentary assessment (EMA). In studies using EMA, behaviors are captured at the moment they occur in participants’ natural envi-ronments. Participants are prompted to respond to a series of questions and can be assessed repeatedly over time. .

In a five-year study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), ORI scientist Julie C. Rusby, Ph.D., and her team are using mobile devices to study adolescent peer group interactions. Approximately 1,800 8th-grade students in Oregon use a tablet device to record their mood, current activity, and how many adults and kids they are with at the moment. Students are prompted to complete assessments on the devices during non-school hours. The data collected about teens’ moods, their activities with peers and adults, and when and how problem behaviors occur will inform the development of programs to prevent youth antisocial behavior and substance abuse.

“Using mobile devices as tools for collecting data on real-world adolescent peer group interactions has rarely been done. This methodology can reveal how important intrapersonal and peer processes are associated over time.”

Julie C. Rusby, Ph.D.

Data Collection Measurement/Observation

“It is possible that behavioral or pharmacological interventions that target the brain’s reward center may help prevent and treat obesity – an avenue we are currently pursuing in our research.”

Eric Stice, Ph.D.

Treating Tobacco, Alcohol and Illegal Drug Use

ORI’s work in this area dates from research funding obtained in the late 1970’s to study tobacco use in young people. Since then, research interests have broadened to include research on the prevention of alcohol and other drug use among youth. Two important ORI longitudinal studies – one on peer and family influences on youth drug use, and the other on young children’s knowledge of and intent to use alcohol and drugs -- have provided valuable guidance in the development of substance abuse prevention programs.

Understanding and Preventing Substance Use

For the past sixteen years, ORI researchers have been studying the same group of local children (now young adults) to investigate the risk and protective factors associated with the development of substance use. This study provides a unique picture of the trajectory of substance use as children develop from elementary school through adolescence and into emerging adulthood. Results suggest that drug prevention efforts should target the elementary and early middle school years, so as to change social images, intentions and willingness to use substances prior to experimentation.

SCIENTISTS IN THIS AREALaura Akers, Ph.D.Judy Andrews, Ph.D.Manuel Barrera, Ph.D.Anthony Biglan, Ph.D.Janet Brigham, Ph.D.Janet Brody, Ph.D.Brian Danaher, Ph.D.Betsy Davis, Ph.D.Richard Farmer, Ph.D.

Reducing or Eliminating Tobacco Use

ORI scientists are internationally recognized for their pioneering studies of tobacco use and its prevention and cessation. ORI scientists have conducted ground-breaking work in both smoking and smokeless (spit) tobacco cessation. ORI researchers were the first to use the principles of behavior change in studying tobacco prevention and cessation, and have made significant contributions to Institute of Medicine and U.S. Surgeon General’s reports on smoking. Current research focuses on the health and behavioral impacts of e-cigarettes and other methods of nicotine delivery.

Treating Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Addiction

Researchers at ORI’s Centers for Family and Adolescent Research (CFAR) in Portland, Oregon and in Albuquerque, New Mexico are studying the effectiveness of different treatment approaches for teens diagnosed with alcohol or other substance abuse disorders. The programs range from group or individual based cognitive behavior therapy to family-based interventions. By demonstrating the effectiveness of particular family and cognitive behavioral interventions, ORI’s research findings contribute to the development and widespread use of effective treatments for adolescent substance use and abuse.

AREAS OF RESEARCH AT ORI

Erica Finstad, Ph.D.Barbara Gunn, Ph.D.Sarah E. Hampson, Ph.D.Hyman Hops, Ph.D.Edward Lichtenstein, Ph.D.John Light, Ph.D.Tim Ozechowski, Ph.D.Michael Robbins, Ph.D.Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D.

Anne Simons, Ph.D.Dana K. Smith, Ph.D.Gary Swan, Ph.D.Elizabeth Tildesley, Ph.D.Charles Turner, Ph.D.Holly B. Waldron, Ph.D.Erika Westling, Ph.D.

Promoting Physical Health ORI researchers study ways to keep people of all ages physically healthy. Work in this area began in the 1980’s with research to find ways to help people with diabetes manage their illness. The research area now includes the study and promotion of physical activity among youth and the elderly, research on how personality affects physical health and wellbeing, and an examination of the causes of childhood obesity, including studying neighborhood disparities in access to healthy food.

Promoting Health through Diet and Exercise

ORI’s research in this area examines both individual and community-level strategies for improving diet and exercise. Areas of inquiry include the effect of the built environment on individual health, the availability of healthy food choices in neighborhood stores, the community adoption of a modified Tai Chi program to increase mobility among older adults, and longitudinal studies to examine physical activity patterns of youth. An understanding of these factors will help in the design of programs to improve American diets and to increase physical activity.

Linking Personality Traits to Health and Well-Being

Personality research at ORI has had a major influence on the development of a unifying framework for the many different ways of describing personality characteristics, and it is one of the oldest research topics at ORI. In a unique investigation, the research team is linking personality assessments from elementary school children 45 years ago to medical and psychological examinations of these same individuals, now middle-aged adults. The findings demonstrate a link between childhood personality traits and health behaviors that affect adult health outcomes.

Managing Chronic Illness

The mission of the ORI researchers studying chronic illness is to help people prevent and manage chronic and severe illness by changing their health-related lifestyle behavior. The research team has focused on the importance of diet, exercise, stress management, and social support in alleviating the symptoms of illnesses such as diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Promoting Psychological HealthORI scientists study emotional and behavioral health in order to understand factors that make people vulnerable to serious mental health disorders. Researchers also examine the factors that increase people’s ability to cope with daily challenges. An important component of research in this area is developing and evaluating interventions for the prevention and treatment of disorders.

Understanding and Treating Depression

The causes and treatment of depression have been a focus of study at ORI for almost 30 years. Current research focuses on understanding family and emotional processes related to adolescent depression, developing and evaluating innovative treatments including those for delivery on the Internet, and disseminating treatment programs into community settings.

Understanding and Treating Eating Disorders

ORI researchers and colleagues have significantly advanced the scientific understanding of the causes of bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder in young women. The team has conducted several research studies to identify and examine such risk factors as “thin-ideal internalization” (the association of success and happiness with being thin), body dissatisfaction, and negative mood. These research studies are among the largest and longest running on the causes of this serious psychiatric disturbance.

AREAS OF RESEARCH AT ORI

SCIENTISTS IN THIS AREA

Nicholas B. Allen, Ph.D. Anthony Biglan, Ph.D.Janet Brody, Ph.D.Brian G. Danaher, Ph.D.Betsy Davis, Ph.D.Susan C. Duncan, Ph.D.Edward G. Feil, Ph.D.Jorgé Ramirez Garcia, Ph.D.Peter M. Lewinsohn, Ph.D.Paul Rohde, Ph.D.John R. Seeley, Ph.D.Lisa B. Sheeber, Ph.D.Eric Stice, Ph.D. Charles Turner, Ph.D.Sonja Yokum, Ph.D.

SCIENTISTS IN THIS AREA

Manuel Barrera, Ph.D.Susan C. Duncan, Ph.D.Grant Edmonds, Ph.D.Lewis R. Goldberg, Ph.D.Sarah E. Hampson, Ph.D.Peter Harmer, Ph.D.Fuzhong Li, Ph.D.Gerard Saucier, Ph.D.Lisa A. Strycker, M.A.Deborah J. Toobert, Ph.D.

Promoting Healthy Child Development This is ORI’s largest research area. Researchers in this area examine the role that families, schools, friends, neighborhoods, and communities play in promoting the positive development of children, teens, and young adults. The research teams study what leads to social and academic success as well as what leads to problem behaviors, such as substance use and school failure. ORI scientists work with schools and parents to refine and adapt evidence-based programs such as literacy strengthening, social skills programs, and parent training programs.

Fostering Social and Academic Success in School and Community Settings

Many factors influence how well a child does in school. ORI scientists address many of these by designing effective reading and math curricula, teaching children appropriate social behavior, and working with school staff to ensure that the school climate promotes academic and social excellence.

Promoting Positive Youth Development through Healthy Communities

ORI researchers help community leaders provide youth with the best possible environment for growing up healthy and happy. ORI’s work in this area began over twenty years ago with the promotion of anti-tobacco, pro-social activities in Oregon towns and cities. The research has expanded to include working with community leaders to address topics such as crime, poverty, nutrition, and health disparities.

Parenting and Family Strengthening for Healthy Child Development

Research shows that children’s behavior improves when parents are actively involved in their children’s lives. ORI researchers have identified several successful parenting programs and are leaders in working towards wide-spread adoption of these practices. Much of ORI’s work has now been adapted for use on the Internet.

Meeting Special Needs

Researchers at ORI’s Applied Computer Simulations Lab develop and test virtual reality education and rehabilitation programs for disabled individuals. The programs are used to help blind and deaf-blind children learn to safely cross streets and to train children to drive motorized wheelchairs. This pioneering use of virtual reality technology has large implications for other adaptations in the area of rehabilitation.

SCIENTISTS IN THIS AREA

Manuel Barrera, Ph.D.Anthony Biglan, Ph.D.Shawn M. Boles, Ph.D.Janet Brody, Ph.D.Betsy Davis, Ph.D.Susan C. Duncan, Ph.D.Edward G. Feil, Ph.D.Annemieke Golly, Ph.D.Barbara K. Gunn, Ph.D.Hyman Hops, Ph.D.Dean P. Inman, Ph.D.Laura Backen Jones, Ph.D.John Light, Ph.D.Carol W. Metzler, Ph.D.Julie C. Rusby, Ph.D.John Seeley, Ph.D.Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D. Lisa B. Sheeber, Ph.D.Deborah Johnson-Shelton, Ph.D.Keith Smolkowski, Ph.D.Charles Turner, Ph.D.Patricia Vadasy, Ph.D.Mark Van Ryzin, Ph.D.Holly B. Waldron, Ph.D.Hill Walker, Ph.D.

AREAS OF RESEARCH AT ORI

Financial Report 2014

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES

REVENUES, GAINS, & OTHER SUPPORT Grants and contracts Interest income Contributions and donations Other income Total revenues, gains & other support

EXPENSES Program services: Healthy Child Development Physical Health Psychological Health Prevention and Treatment

Total program services

Support services Depreciation and amortization Total support services

Total expenses

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS

NET ASSETS, beginning of year

NET ASSETS, end of year

$ 19,796,5705,5159,876

54,990

19,866,951

3,640,3751,863,3772,656,3845,442,434

13,602,570

6,007,207204,435

6,211,642

19,814,212

52,739

778,876

$ 831,615

$ 18,660,3092,8947,903

42,069

18,713,175

2,779,2052,061,1842,411,6835,561,273

12,813,345

5,709,399168,872

5,878,616

18,691,616

21,559

831,615

853,174

2013Unrestricted total

2014Unrestricted total

Year ended December 31

ASSETS

CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents Grants and contracts receivable Prepaid expenses and deposits Total current assets

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, less accumulated depreciation and amortization

OTHER ASSETS Beneficial interest in assets held by others

TOTAL ASSETS

$ 668,548600,178130,749

1,399,475

501,541

$ 288,674

$ 2,189,690

$ 916,241751,016130,749

1,798,006

391,777

280,468

$ 2,470,251

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

CURRENT LIABILITIES Accounts payable Accrued payroll and related expenses Accrued leave payable, current portion Long-term debt, current portion Total current liabilities

LONG TERM LIABILITIES Accrued leave payable Long-term debt Total liabilities

NET ASSETS Unrestricted Total net assets TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

$ 620,96979,58486,64870,700

857,901

383,579116,595

1,358,075

831,615831,615

$ 2,189,690

2013

$ 687,867413,054

99,98536,000

1,236,906

300,73879,433

1,617,077

853,174853,174

$ 2,470,251

2014

December 31

ORI Donors 2014

Funding Partners 2014

Megan R. JuenemannFuzhong LiEdward LichtensteinJohn M. LightSusan LongMarta MakarushkaLisa M. MarionPaul D. RohdeJohn R. SeeleyEric SticeCharles TurnerHolly B. Waldron

RESEARCH FRIENDS(to $499)

Anonymous (4)Maureen F. BarckleySusan BrewsterChristine A. BrownBrian G. DanaherBetsy DavisEdward G. FeilSonya GaborByron GliddenAmy GreenwoldSarah HampsonDean InmanDeb Johnson-Shelton

A planned gift creates a legacy of caring for research that lasts forever. The Heritage Club consists of donors who support ORI through planned gifts and bequests. If you are interested in leaving a lasting legacy to ORI, please contact Byron J. Glidden at (541) 484-2123.

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. Please feel free to contact us at (541) 484-2123 with any corrections.

National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center (FIC) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) National Institute on Aging (NIA)United States Department of Education Georgia State University

RESEARCH CHAMPIONS($500 to $1,499)

Judy A. AndrewsJanet L. BrodyDaniel C. HoechlinHyman HopsCarol W. Metzler

Oregon Research Institute • 1776 Millrace Drive, Eugene OR 97403 541-484-2123 • www.ori.org

Design & Layout: Ramona McCoy • Editor: Kathryn Madden